6 Tips for surviving the British Museum

6 Tips for surviving the British Museum

The British Museum is just glorious. It is proof that the British really do accept collateral for bailing out other countries. No really, I am pretty sure if you took all the pieces of the Parthenon that are in the British Museum and put them back together in Greece the building will be complete again.

Like most museums around London, this one is free to enter. But be warned, it is HUGE. There are halls for eras and don’t get me started on a number of riches it holds from Egypt. Are there even any mommies left in Egypt? I will be honest, all of it is cool but in when you want to see the British Museum there is always one section you want to see more than the rest. One point in history that interests you more.

This is what happens when you ask a poephol to take a picture of you.

So let’s break down my top tips for surviving the museum without getting bored.

Discuss what you want to see with whomever you are going with and be okay to split up to see your favourite bits. Yes, the museum is that large that you will need an ENTIRE day to see it all. So over a pub lunch before you hit the great halls tell your mates what you are eager to see. Oscar wanted to see the Viking and Japanese sections (mostly for the swords) and I mostly wanted to see the Rosetta Stone.

Get a map. Hell, get two and after the first few halls pick a point on it to meet up with your friends instead of making everyone see what you want to see.

Wear layers that are easy to carry.London is always cold (for South Africans) but inside is warm and you are going to be walking A LOT. Wear something you don’t mind taking off and carrying around.

Wear comfortable shoesand don’t think you will be “rest’ between halls. There is nowhere to sit. Maybe one bench in every 4th hall but don’t get excited, by the time you spot it someone will swoop in and steal it.

It’s okay if you don’t see everything. There is simply TOO MUCH to see.

Have a pint in the little pub across the road afterward and exchange nerdy fun facts.

The British Museum isn’t a quick in and out, You will spend hours there. (Fun hours, but don’t fool yourself into thinking you can do this and something else on the same day.) It is such an impressive collection of treasures from all over the world that you WILL find something that interests you in it. Go and see history. It’s bloody cool.